When it comes to caliber, usually my recommendation would be .308 Win., however, .270 Win. seems to be the lonely stepchild of the 3 you listed when ammo gets tight. I have seen .270 more consistently throughout this past year than either .308 or .30-06.

These 3 calibers all have a great deal of overlap in their capabilities.

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So I'm looking for my first rifle. I want to shoot distance. I want to spend 350$ most. Not sure if I want a .308,30.06, or .270. I need input please give some opinions. ( Bolt action)

.308 Winchester is probably as 'universal' a cartridge as is needed for the Continental 48 states. .30-06 is more flexible IF the shooter is a reloader. A .30-06 rifle might be cheaper - just a little - in a used rifle. Either cartridge is capable of shooting about as far as one can see.

Most of the manufacturers make an adequate to decent bolt rifle. On a bare-bones budget, you probably won't find a perfect target rifle, but you can find one of average - useful - accuracy. Looking for such a rifle will be half the fun. Depending on your local area, check pawn shops, local gun stores, and places like Wal-Mart (some other 'big-box' stores may or may not have firearms as well.)

As with anything, it is an excellent plan to have a good idea of what you seek PRIOR to walking in the door with money burning a hole in your pocket. A good salesman will see you coming from afar. Don't act like you know everything, but know what you seek.

First rifle? As in, you think you will have more than one? If that's the case, I'd buy a used one in either 30-06 or .270, as .308 goes 'bye bye' whenever we have gun grabber scares. A used Remington 700 is a darn good place to start. And then there's optics......the farther out you want to shoot, the more $$ you are going to need typically.

You want to shoot distance? Start by shooting at small distance (50-100 yards) and learn how to shoot. That means, how to breathe, how to pull the trigger. For some guys it comes naturally (I am lucky that way) but there are plenty of guys that just can't get relaxed enough to shoot well. When you learn how to consistently group your bullets in a 2-3" circle at 50 yards, you are ready to move up in distance. I have seen countless guys show up at the 200 meter range at my club with expensive rigs.....more expensive than anything I'll ever buy....and not hit paper or even know WHERE they hit.

Until you experience a fair amount of recoil you should start with something in the area of a .243. It is capable of taking good sized deer down to ground hogs. If you start with heavier recoil you can develop some hard to break bad habits. My favorite is 30.06 because its versatility but you cant go wrong with .308 or .270. If you are a true beginner I agree with BillM, everybody needs a 22LR, and they are inexpensive to shoot, don't require cleaning every time you go shooting, and a hoot to shoot. You can get a lot more for your money if you can find a nice used gun.

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So I'm looking for my first rifle. I want to shoot distance. I want to spend 350$ most. Not sure if I want a .308,30.06, or .270. I need input please give some opinions. ( Bolt action)

new to rifles. get a bolt action 22 rimfire and learn the fundamentals of rifle shooting first. it will teach me more first starting on rifles than a larger bore centerfire and be much cheaper to shoot.

i am going to assume that you don't reload and starting out with a centerfire, unless you have deep pockets or reload, you won't be able to put rounds down range like you can with a 22. and time spent pulling the trigger is what make a person a better shooter.

and of the three choices you listed the 308 is the least recoiling. and the other two are not the best choices for a person new to rifles for their first rifle.

Remember that a lot of military trainers were the same basic shape / size as the field use weapon but in the .22 caliber for ease of training and expense of practice.

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My first gun was a mosin Nagant. And before that the only shooting experience I had was with shotguns. So I don't think you need to start with a .22. All of the rifle calibers you want are very good.

unless you have deep pockets or reload, then you may have a point. but with a budget of $350 to me says the OP doesn't have deep pockets to afford to shoot the amount of rounds to get good at shooting with a centerfire.

for $350, the OP can get a good bolt bolt action 22 and a lot of ammo and start practicing.

Looking for your first rifle at a price tag of $350? As mentioned you should go shopping for a good used rifle with scope. Anything new and decent is going to be next to impossible to get it with a decent quality scope for that price. If the distance you are referring to is 300 or less you can probably find something good in that range. Unless you buy the rifle and save for a scope and good quality rings later. So good luck and keep us informed.

03

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“Americans have the right and advantage of being armed. Unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms.”
James Madison. Author of the 2nd Amendment

Saw a savage 110 with accu trigger in 7mm Remington magnum today, $275 at a gun show. If you can find what you are looking for a gun show might not be a bad place to go. Just know your prices and bring cash to haggle with. I'm not necessarily suggesting a 7mm Remington magnum but the savage 110 is a nice rifle!